Monday, December 17, 2012

Our children matter too, Mr. President!

On Dec 14th, 2012 the world was shocked and devastated at the news of the shooting in Sand Hookey Elementary School in NewTown, Connecticut in which 26 people including 20 children were killed. It was indeed a painful and tragic loss. May all the victims rest in peace and prayers to their families to accept their loss and overcome their grief.This this was the fourth mass shooting during President Obama's presidency. The U.S. President delivered an emotional speech on Sunday in which he said "these tragedies must end and to end them we must change." Indeed the U.S. has to control guns which annually claims the lives of more and more innocent people. Yet, this same president who shed tears over these 20 children approved on December 17th, 2009 a cruise missile attack in Yemen targeting the village of Al-Ma’jalah, in Abyan province, killing 41 local residents, including 14 women and 21 children. As the U.S and the world mourn these children, including us in Yemen, we also remember our victims in Al-Ma'jalah who did not make it to the headlines. Their death was unspoken of, they remained anonymous and their names were never read on worldwide televisions, yet we remember them everyday.This is a (graphic) video of the victims for the world to remember them today and may they also rest in peace.

Many Yemeni children get killed by US predator drone strikes, while the world never acknowledges their death nor reportes it. Our children's blood is not cheaper than American blood and the pain of losing them is just as devastating. Our children matter too, Mr. President! These tragedies 'also' must end and to end them 'YOU' must change!

About Me

'Noon' here is not mid-day but my actual nickname, which happens to be the first letter of my name and also coincidentally the Arabic grammatical reference for females (noon el nesswah). Here I express my thoughts and comments on various topics ranging from poetry, politics, to personal.
I am Yemeni by birth, Egyptian by choice, Arab by identity. A diplomat's daughter, lived and travelled to many places, thus a citizen of the world with a passion for politics & poetry...A natural born activist.